
‘Our Town': The Nearly Unbearable Beauty of Life
Human life is meaningful only when it's relational. Only by treasuring life's moments in togetherness do birth, aging, and death become worthwhile. That's the point of director Sam Wood's film, 'Our Town' (1940), inspired by Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.

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New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Country star Zac Brown ‘going into debt' to fund expensive Las Vegas Sphere residency
You get what you give. Zac Brown has revealed that he is taking on debt to fund his highly anticipated four-show residency at the Las Vegas Sphere later this year. 'Just going into debt to make it happen,' the 'Knee Deep' country star, 46, told Us Weekly in an interview published Friday, July 25. Advertisement 7 Zac Brown attends the 2025 American Music Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images 7 The Zac Brown Band performs after the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Course on July 5, 2025. Getty Images Brown's four-concert run at the iconic Sin City venue is scheduled to kick off in December, and the first night will coincide with the release of the Zac Brown Band's next album, 'Love & Fear,' on Friday, Dec. 5. Advertisement But despite taking on debt to make the performances happen, the 'Chicken Fried' crooner is still looking forward to what he and his band have planned for their countless fans. 'It's a big moment in time,' Brown continued. 'I want to be among the names of the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones and the bands that take that lifelong career impact fan journey to be able to do that.' 7 Zac Brown visits 'Fox & Friends' at Fox News Channel Studios on July 24, 2025, in New York City. Getty Images 'This is our statement to try to step into that,' he added. Advertisement The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is also ready to take on the difficulty that comes with pulling off a concert series at the 20,000-capacity Sphere. 'Whatever adversity, I'm just like, 'Okay, bring it,'' Brown said as he prepares for the shows. 'There are lots of forces that are always trying to distract you from what you're doing, and you just got to keep plowing, keep going.' 7 Zac Brown performs at The Pinnacle on April 1, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. Getty Images Unlike most music venues, the Las Vegas Sphere includes a visual element that immerses the audience in a multi-sensory experience. Advertisement Besides collecting images and clips to play alongside his songs, Brown revealed that he is also putting together a unique story for his fans. 'I hope they feel wonder,' he said. 'Unpredictability is something we use in our live shows a lot. I love pulling out covers that no one would ever expect us to play; that's super fun. This is the same thing visually, sonically – everything we're doing.' 7 The Zac Brown Band performs on NBC's 'Today' at Rockefeller Plaza on July 25, 2025, in New York City. Getty Images 'We have all the audio finished. We're putting the video pieces together, stitching it together. I'm finishing the story,' he continued. 'I'm telling a lot of personal things about my life that I've never shared before.' 'Everything hard that we go through as human beings always ends up making us better in some way,' Brown added. Plus, Brown teased a 'theme of redemption' throughout each of the four upcoming shows. 7 Zac Brown performs during the Zac Brown Band Special New Year's Eve Show at State Farm Arena on December 31, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images 'Taking people on a journey through things that are uncomfortable and then creating that dissonance and then that tension and release is really the art of what we're doing,' he shared. Advertisement 'I haven't seen anything like what we're doing there,' Brown concluded. 'So, it's really exciting.' Shortly before opening up about his four-show residency at the Sphere, the country music icon revealed that he and his girlfriend, Kendra Scott, got engaged. 7 Kendra Scott and Zac Brown make their red carpet debut at the American Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 26, 2025. Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA 'We are so happy and grateful that we found each other,' Brown told People on Thursday, July 24. Advertisement The 'Old Love Song' singer's engagement to Scott, 51, comes less than two years after his contentious divorce from ex-wife Kelly Yazdi. 'I feel great,' Brown said after proposing to Scott. 'I got her good.'


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Beyoncé fans are paying close attention to her hair color as tour ends: Here's why
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is about to wrap up her "Cowboy Carter" tour in Las Vegas, and fans are already searching for clues about what's next for the superstar. Their current focus is the hair color of some of Beyoncé's dancers. The Grammy-winning singer kicked off her first concert at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on July 25. The concert marked her first of two shows at the stadium on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. She is set to perform again July 26. As she took the stage, Beyoncé donned a floor-length American flag coat with a matching bodysuit and white cowboy hat. However, it was her blond hair color that immediately caught the attention of some fans. Prior to Friday's show, rumors began to swirl when fans noticed some of her dancers appearing to change their hair color to jet black. One account wrote on X, "Beyoncé's dancers are reportedly dyeing their hair black, sparking rumors that it's a visual clue for the third installment of her trilogy: act iii." As fans know, Beyoncé released her eighth studio album "Cowboy Carter" March 29. The country album has already made history on multiple fronts and put a spotlight on Black country artists. In July 2022 Beyoncé released her seventh studio album "Renaissance." The project earned her four Grammys in 2023 including best dance/electronic music album, making her the most decorated artist in the awards' history. She later announced the album was the first part of a three-act project, making "Cowboy Carter" Act 2. After releasing albums in the country and dance categories, there has been growing speculation that the last project in the trilogy could be a rock album. Beyoncé only fueled this idea after she posed as funk-rock diva Betty Davis for Halloween — and yes, she was wearing jet black hair. However, during the July 25 performance, not only was Beyoncé's hair not black, but many of her dancers' hair colors also varied from black to red and more. One fan wrote, "And the black hair theories are dismissed." However, others were reluctant to abandon the idea entirely, noting that there's still one more show to go. Some fans even went so far as to point out that last show date falls on Davis' birthday. There are always fan theories floating around, and fans can expect even more as Beyoncé closes out her tour and the Act 2 era leaving them to eagerly await Act 3. As always, only time will tell. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.


Newsweek
7 hours ago
- Newsweek
Gwyneth Paltrow Takes On Surprise Role For Astronomer After Viral Video
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Astronomer, the New York data tech firm caught up in the Coldplay concert "kiss‑cam scandal," has hired actress Gwyneth Paltrow for a lighthearted marketing video which capitalizes on the attention driven by two executives caught canoodling at the gig. The company enlisted the Oscar-winning ex-wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as a "very temporary spokesperson" in the tongue-in-cheek video. Why It Matters The clip follows the resignation of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot—both pictured in an embrace caught live on a jumbotron during the July 16 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The CEO is still married, and Cabot was reportedly previously married to Kenneth Thornby, their divorce being finalized in 2022. The footage of Byron and Cabot ducking away from the camera, when they realized they were being filmed, quickly went viral. The original video amassed more than 45 million views on TikTok and millions more in reposts across other platforms. In this Nov. 7, 2015 file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow attends LACMA 2015 Art+Film Gala at LACMA in Los Angeles, Calif. In this Nov. 7, 2015 file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow attends LACMA 2015 Art+Film Gala at LACMA in Los Angeles, Calif. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP What To Know In the video, posted to X, Paltrow is sitting at a desk and thanks the public for their interest in Astronomer. She says: "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer." She continues: "Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones." Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. — Astronomer (@astronomerio) July 25, 2025 A question then appears on screen reading: "OMG, what the actual …" Before the final word appears, the video cuts back to Paltrow, who shifts to promoting some of Astronomer's services. In a subtle nod to the widespread attention the company has received, Paltrow adds, "We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation." Another question starts to appear on screen, typing out: "How is your social media team holding up?" But before it's finished, Paltrow interrupts abruptly, announcing that Astronomer has spaces available at an upcoming conference in September. She closes the video with: "We'll now be returning to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers." Astronomer, a New York-based company, helps companies develop, grow, and analyze products using artificial intelligence. After Byron resigned, the company said in a statement: "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met." Pete DeJoy, who has taken over as interim CEO, admitted on Monday that the company has faced an "unusual and surreal" amount of attention in recent days. On LinkedIn, he wrote: "While I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name." What Happens Next Astronomer's board of directors has announced the start of a formal search for a new chief executive.